Before
by kramer53
Summary: "Will they send us to an orphanage?" asked Wanda. She didn't want to live like that. She'd heard whispers on the streets telling stories of how horrible they were. "Yes. But it won't be that bad. We'll be together, I promise." (Pietro and Wanda's life before AoU. Journey with them as they try to adjust to a new life. R&R)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

" _Speaking in Russian"_

"Speaking in English"

* * *

 **So I wanted to write about the twins' lives before they joined the Avengers. I'm not too sure if I'm going to go into the actual movie or just leave it as the movie begins. Anyways, it's going to be told from Wanda's POV in third person. So... yeah... Tell me what you guys think when you finish reading it. The more reviews I get, the more likely I'll keep going.**

 **The twins are twelve now. By the Avengers they will be sixteen and in HYDRA's hands. They'll be nineteen by the events of AoU.**

* * *

Wanda laid under her bed, terrified beyond her worst nightmares. Pietro's arms were wrapped protectively around her waist. She could feel her twin brother breathing sporadically on the back of her neck. It sent chills down her spine, making her squirm in uneasiness.

Her stomach growled. Pangs of hunger tore at her until she felt like she could eat a whole buffet and then some. Wanda had never been so hungry in her life.

Dust rained down from the sky, coating everything in a gray blanket. A trickle of sunlight shone through a hole in the ceiling. A bomb sized hole. A hole that produced a faulty explosive device from the sky hardly a two days ago.

This bomb was sitting not five feet from the twins' faces. In black lettering it read the name of the person the two would come to hate with a burning passion: Stark.

A part of her wanted the bomb to explode- to take them away to be with their parents. Another part screamed for someone to rescue them before it could have a chance of going off. Wanda didn't know which one she wanted more.

She didn't know how long they sat there in silence, hoping and praying that the bomb would not go off. It felt like hours. Then the hours felt like days turned into months turned into years. Her legs fell asleep and her neck was starting to cramp. And then, finally, the search began.

Wanda heard the people first. _"Pietro,"_ she whispered, afraid that even the slightest breath of air could cause everything to explode. " _Pietro, I hear people."_

" _Rescuers?"_

" _Yes,"_ the girl sighed in relief. " _Rescuers."_

" _How long do you think it will take them to get to us, 'Tro?"_

" _They'll be here soon, Wand. Don't worry."_

Again the twins lapsed into deathly silence. They breathed only when needed, and allowed their hopes to rise. _Soon,_ they both thought in tandem, _we will be rescued._

She could hear the groans from the injured, joyous shouts from those who found loved ones, and cries of loss from those who had less luck. There would be nobody to shout in joy when they would be rescued. Nobody to hug them and kiss them on their foreheads, telling them all would be alright. Nobody would care. Both of them would be shipped off to an orphanage to be adopted.

" _Should we call for help?"_ Wanda was getting anxious. She could hear searchers getting closer and closer, but the girl was afraid that they'd look over their hiding place.

Pietro didn't respond immediately. His sister couldn't see his face, so she couldn't predict his emotions. It was probably better that way.

" _Yes, but we must do so carefully and warn them of the bomb. Otherwise it might go off."_

Wanda nodded, forgetting that Pietro couldn't really see her in the darkness under the bed. " _Help!"_ they cried together, hesitant at first. " _Help us!"_

" _We're trapped!"_ the girl shouted.

" _Be careful!"_ he warned. " _A bomb is here as well. It didn't go off!"_

They repeated these phrases over and over and over, each time it was uttered the volume got louder and louder until their voices were hoarse from shouting.

"I hear kids over here!" someone alerted the search party.

The words were in English. Wanda didn't know the exact words spoken, but she knew enough from her English class to grasp a bit of the statement. All she understood was 'I', 'kids', and 'here'.

" _Pietro, they heard us! They heard us!"_

" _Yeah… they have."_

Her brother had always grasped English better than her, so she had no doubt that he understood most, if not all, of the jumbled shouts from rescuers.

" _There's a faulty bomb!_ Bomb here not exploded!" Pietro shouted in both Russian and choppy English. Hopefully it was enough to warn their to be saviors of the dangers. Wanda only had three fears now: the rescue team wouldn't find them, they would refuse to help them because of the bomb, or the bomb would explode before anyone could save them. She prayed to as many gods as she could think of. _Please,_ Wanda cried in her mind. _Please let us get out alive._

* * *

It was several hours later that they were found. Then a few more for the rescuers to figure out how to get them out without triggering the bomb. And then a few more for them to actually rescue the twins. Each second dragged on like hours for Wanda.

The rescuers destroyed the wall adjacent to the bed brick by brick until there was a big enough hole for the twins to roll through. Pietro went out first.

He climbed through the opening and into the sunlight, leaving Wanda behind under the bed. Those few seconds caused her to panic. Those twelve seconds. Pietro had been pressed against her for all of those hours, comforting her. The absence of his warmth sent warnings throughout her mind.

The momentary panic dispersed as her twin called to her. " _Come on, Wand. Everything will be okay."_

She crawled her way through the narrow opening, ignoring the protests of her stiff muscles. A bright light that was the sun greeted her like an old friend, blazing a hello into her eyes. Despite the grave situation, the girl laughed. It felt good to be free again- to be able to stretch her muscles and breathe as she wished.

" _Pietro… we're free!"_

" _Yes, sister. We are."_

Pietro embraced her in a hug. She buried her head into the crook of his neck and cried. They had lived. They had lived while their parents had not.

 _"Shhhhh,"_ comforted Pietro. He ran his fingers through her long, tangled brown hair, brushing all of the dust away. _"Mama and Papa wouldn't want us to grieve. They'd want us to get back up- to go and continue with our lives."_

 _"But how can we continue without remembering them? They saved us."_ Wanda looked up at her taller brother.

He chuckled. _"I didn't say forget, Wanda. We should remember them with all of our hearts. Just don't let grief consume you."_

Pietro wiped her tears away with his thumb. She thought about what he said. Yes, they should move on, but they should never forget. They should _never_ forget their parents nor the name of the person that had killed them.

All Wanda knew was that Tony Stark would pay.

* * *

"Names?" a pudgy British man with a clipboard asked. Shortly after being rescued, they were sent to a nearby recovery station where they would stay until further notice. Tents were hastily set up around the area. People, young and old, sat on the ground or inside. Buildings all around them were broken, pieces of the rubble conspicuous on the street. Most of the debris was cleared from the recovery site, but a lot was still visible.

"Pietro and Wanda Maximoff," her brother answered with an accent. She let him do the talking as she hid shyly behind his arm.

"Age?"

"Twelve."

"Both of you?"

"We are twins."

"Ah," the man scribbled something onto the clipboard. "Date of birth?"

"February 10th," Pietro paused, looking for the right number in English. "1996."

"Which of you is older?"

"Sorry... I... do not understand?"

"Nevermind," the pudgy man shook his head. "Who are your parents?"

Pietro glanced at Wanda. She could tell by the look on his face that he was having trouble translating.

Wanda searched her memory for the translation. _"I think he asked for our parent's names."_

"Magda and Erik Maximoff."

He nodded and scribbled more down onto the paper. "Do you know where they are?"

Puzzlement crossed Pietro's face again. He looked towards Wanda. She shook her head. This time she couldn't translate.

"I do not understand."

Sighing, the man put down the pen. He told them to wait and walked off.

 _"Will they send us to an orphanage?"_ asked Wanda. She didn't want to live like that. She'd heard whispers on the streets telling stories of how horrible they were.

 _"Yes. But it won't be that bad. We'll be together, I promise."_

The man came back a few minutes later with a woman trailing behind him. She smiled warmly at them.

 _"Do you know where your parents are?"_ the woman translated.

 _"They died..."_

 _"Oh,"_ the woman frowned in sympathy. _"I-I'm sorry..."_

Wanda simply looked down at her dusty shoes.

 _"We'll... manage,"_ her brother forced out. She could tell he didn't want her pity.

The man with the clipboard rambled something off to the woman, too quick for Wanda to keep up. She guessed that he was talking extremely slowly when asking questions since she could actually keep up then. Now it was just a whirlwind of words that she knew no meaning of.

 _"He says you'll have to be moved to an orphanage in a few days. For now you are to stay here. Food, water, and new clothing will be supplied to you until all the paperwork and repairs- if needed- are done to the facility. You'll be split-"_

 _"No!"_ Wanda shouted. It was her first time speaking in front of the strangers. _"I won't separate from Pietro."_ As if to prove her point, she gripped her brother's arm tighter.

The woman looked pleadingly at the man, both of them shooting English rapidly back and forth.

 _"He'll have to see what he can do. There might not be an orphanage willing to take twins as a package deal since most parents adopt only one child."_

Anger welled up inside of Wanda. The way the woman put it made it sound like she and Pietro were objects to be put on display for the highest bidder. _Well, I'm staying with 'Tro no matter what._

Pietro nodded and led Wanda away before she could voice her opinion. Another English speaking man approached them.

 _"You in need of beds?"_ the man asked in poor Russian. The accent was American. He was tall and scrawny with a light stubble, about twenty years old.

Pietro nodded. The man gestured for them to follow him. Wanda hung tightly onto her brother's arm, weaving in and out of the crowd of homeless people. The word hit the girl harder than she thought it would. Homeless. She and Pietro were homeless now.

 _"My name is Charlie,"_ he said over his shoulder. _"I care you while here."_

 _"I'm Wanda, and this is my twin brother Pietro,"_ she was tired of her brother speaking for her today. _"Thank you for providing us a place to stay."_

 _"It no problem. We help where we can."_

Charlie suddenly stopped at a hastily set up tent. _"Okay if share with each other?"_

"Yes. We share," Pietro said in English to make the man's job a bit easier. Wanda could see Charlie visibly relax when he didn't have to translate.

"I can teach you English, if you want," he offered. "You'll need it."

"Thank you. We can teach Russian," her brother offered in return.

Charlie smiled. "I'll look forward to that." He held the tent flap open, allowing Wanda and Pietro to slip in. Inside were two cots and a chest. " _Dinner served in hour. Call if you need me."_

"Thank you…" Wanda whispered.

"Pleasure's all mine." He put down the flap, enveloping the tent in darkness, and walked off.

Wanda didn't speak until the crunching of gravel underneath Charlie's feet had vanished. " _How long do you think we'll stay here?"_

Pietro sighed and sat on one of the cots. The girl moved to sit beside him. He scooted over, allowing his sister room to sit.

" _I don't know,"_ he draped his arms around Wanda. She leaned into his welcoming chest, resting her head on the crook of his neck. " _Charlie seems nice, though. Don't you agree, Wand?"_

" _Yeah…"_ she snuggled closer to her brother and wrapped her arms around his midsection.

Silence coated the twins like a heavy blanket. Darkness consumed them, allowing Wanda to think of other things besides her fear. It allowed her to _remember_.

Remember that her parents were dead.

Remember that she had no home to go to.

Remember that Stark was to blame.

Tears fell down Wanda's face and into her lap. And for once, she was grateful for the darkness that surrounded them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

" _Speaking in Russian"_

"Speaking in English"

* * *

 **First off I want to say thank you all for following or favoriting this fanfic. I'd like to give a special thanks to** Fortune's Fool 1597 **for being the first (and, sadly, only) person to review. Your review made my day.**

 **This chapter has a slight time jump, is shorter than the first, and more of a filler chapter than anything. It's not the most exciting, but hang in there with me; it'll get a lot better soon.**

 **AT LEAST READ THIS NOTE PEOPLE WHO DON'T READ THESE: I'm torn between having another time skip where they go to the orphanage next chapter or they spend a few more chapters in the rescue camp. Which one do you think is best? Post in the reviews or PM me what you think I should do.**

 **Thanks again for all those who followed or favorited this! Remember reviews motivate me to write better and faster!**

* * *

Charlie handed Wanda her plate of food. He was wearing his usual attire- ripped jeans, a red flannel that hung off of his small frame, and a brown leather jacket; his sandy blonde hair was messy and stuck out all over the place.

"Thanks," she muttered.

" _No problem,"_ the man squat low to the ground, balancing on his toes. The twins sat on one of the cots in their tent.

"Apple," Pietro pointed to the red fruit. He then pointed to another food. "M-m-mashed po...ta...toes?" The twin looked up at Charlie for confirmation. The older man smiled and nodded.

Pietro grinned widely. Wanda followed along carefully, naming the food on her brother's plate in her mind. Charlie had them name each ration given to them before they could eat in order to improve their English. They also made a deal that Charlie had to speak in Russian to them while they had to speak in English. It improved their vocabulary of each other's language and gave them a break from translating.

"And chick-en."

Charlie nodded. _"Very good, Pietro,"_ he pat Wanda's knee encouragingly.

She gave him a shy smile. "Orange," the girl pointed to the round fruit. "ch...ch...chips, and a turk-ey sandwich with… cheese."

" _Great job both of you!"_ he grinned like a mad man.

Both of the twins laughed in unison. Charlie was beginning to get used to them doing things at the same time. "Now it your turn," Pietro reminded him.

"Right… um… _apple, mashed p-p-potatoes, and chicken,"_ he pointed to each item. "Then _or...ange, chips, and a turkey sand...wich with ch-chee...se."_

"Are you going eat, Mr. Charlie?" Wanda asked.

 _"I eat later, Wanda_ ," the man ruffled her hair, causing her to giggle. " _How many times do I have to tell not to call Mr.? Just Charlie!"_

"Sorry. It habit."

" _Well, it fine kiddo,"_ Charlie stood up, smirking as she tried to fix her hair. He reached into his jacket pocket. " _I have something for you."_

Wanda perked up and laid her plate on her lap. She watched in excitement as the man drew out a brown, rectangular package. He showed it to the twins. On the front in big, white, blocky letters was the word 'Hershey's'.

" _Chocolate!"_ the twins shouted with joy. They had only been able to eat candy on special occasions.

"Yup," Charlie popped the 'p'. " _Do you know English word?"_

Wanda shook her head. She looked at Pietro. He was deep in thought, his face creased in concentration. After a few seconds he shook his head as well.

"It's chocolate."

"Ch...oco...late," the twins rolled the word around on their tongue, getting the feel of it.

"Russian word is _chocolate_ ," supplied Pietro. Now it was Charlie's turn to repeat the word until he was satisfied.

" _Split it fairly,"_ he handed the package to Wanda. " _Eat_ _ **after**_ _lunch."_

"You should have some," she pushed the chocolate toward Charlie.

The man shook his head. " _All for you two."_

"No," Wanda opened the wrapper and broke off a piece, She thrust the chocolate to him, determination crossing her features.

Charlie looked at Pietro. The other twin shared the same expression. Sighing, he took the chocolate from the brunette. The twins watched as he lifted the candy to his mouth and popped it in.

Now that the twins were satisfied, Charlie started toward the opening of the tent. " _Goodbye. I see you later."_

" _Goodbye!"_ the twins said simultaneously.

"Thanks for the cho-co-late!"

" _No problem."_

As soon as he was gone, they dug in. Wanda's tastebuds seemed to explode from the different flavors and textures introduced to her. Her family had been poor- living in an apartment and barely gathering enough money to pay for food, rent, and school- so Wanda hadn't had a wide variety of food.

The sour-sweet tang of the orange melted on her tongue and the juice stickied her fingers. _"'Tro, do you want a piece?"_ she offered her brother a slice of the orange.

He bit into his apple and nodded. Pietro took the slice. He rose his eyebrow, asking a silent question and gesturing towards the red fruit in his hand with his head.

 _"Sure. I'll try it,"_ Wanda had never had an apple before. She took it from Pietro's outstretched hand and took a small bite. She chewed thoughtfully. Shrugging, the girl handed the fruit back to her brother. _"It's okay."_

He took the apple and set it on his plate. _"I like both."_

Wanda simply nodded. She reached for her sandwich. Again new flavors exploded in her mouth, but this time no where near as exotic as the orange. She washed it down with the water given to them (it was the only drink available so Charlie only had them translate it every once and a while. The food, however, was different every meal).

It had been a week since they had been rescued. So far nothing extremely exciting had happened at the camp. A few people came in each day. Recently, fewer and fewer were being found. Soon people would start rebuilding.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Alyona poked her head inside the tent. _"Want to play a game of ring-ring? Lavrenty, Matvei, Valentina, and Izabella are playing."_

Wanda and Pietro had found other kids their age around camp. Everyday they played a game after lunch. It was always extremely fun.

 _"Sure, Aly. We'll be out in a minute,"_ said Pietro. The girl nodded and slipped out.

* * *

Once the twins finished their lunch and had a few pieces of chocolate (they wanted to save it for as long as possible), they made their way to the outskirts of the camp. Wanda waved at their awaiting friends.

Izabella waved back before focusing her attention on Matvei. He was climbing among the debris, jumping from rubble to rubble. Just watching him do the daring act made Wanda squirm as if it were her doing it. At each jump, her muscles tensed, expecting him to fall.

" _Don't worry about Mat,"_ Valentina appeared beside the twins. " _He does this all the time. Sometimes Lav joins in."_

Sure enough, the other Russian boy was climbing on top of the rubble as well. Both boys jumped gracefully from rock to rock, careful not to fall.

" _Looks fun!"_ Pietro was shaking in excitement.

" _No. You'll get hurt, 'Tro."_

" _No I won't."_

" _Yes you_ _ **will**_ ," Wanda grabbed her brother's arm, jerking him backwards as he tried to get away. " _I don't want you to get hurt doing something stupid."_

He just rolled his eyes. Happy that he complied, the girl released him. Almost as soon as she had done so, Pietro dashed off- quicker than she thought he could go- to the other boys. " _You didn't see that coming?"_ he called over his shoulder mockingly.

" _Idiot,"_ she muttered bitterly under her breath.

" _They're_ _ **all**_ _idiots, Wanda,"_ Alyona joined her and Valentina. " _They're boys."_

The twin tipped her head in agreement. _Boys_. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, watching the trio of males do daring stunts. It was only a matter of time before one of them got hurt.

" _Well, we were going to play ring-ring, but I guess they had other plans,"_ Valentina glared.

Aloyna sighed. " _Yeah… Too bad we can't play with three. We'll just have to wait for them to get bored."_

" _That won't happen anytime soon,"_ Wanda gave a bitter laugh.

* * *

It was several hours later when the sun was starting to set that the boys finally decided to join the girls. During that time, the females had chatted and the males had some close calls. Each slip up had Wanda's heart in her throat, choking her. Her pulse would race, her breathing would quicken, and her muscles would tense. She didn't know if she could take Pietro getting hurt.

" _I told you nothing would go wrong,"_ her brother smirked.

Wanda crossed her arms, glaring at him. " _It nearly went wrong several times!"_

Pietro simply shrugged. That simple gesture angered Wanda. How could he not _care_? If something were to happen to him, she didn't know what she would do. He was literally her other half. Sure, he was extremely annoying, but life without him would be unbearable.

" _Just don't do it again."_

He looked at her once more, but this time the smirk was wiped off his face. The other twin looked almost regretful. " _I'm sorry… I didn't think you would worry as much as you did."_

Wanda looked up into his eyes. They gleamed with sincerity. At least he really was sorry.

She didn't know what to say, so she just nodded. " _We should probably get back to the tent. I bet Charlie'll be there."_

Pietro agreed. " _Bye guys,"_ he waved a farewell before taking Wanda's hand. She grasped his tightly in return, nodding goodbye to their friends before walking off hand in hand with her brother.


End file.
